Now that Bobby has had his First Holy Communion, he qualifies to be an Altar Boy at the Old Mission. I so love it there. No classes, no sign-ups — if you’ve had your First Communion you show up and suit up and the older boys start showing you the ropes.
If you’ve been wondering whether I really do have a system for everything, I think I can clear that up for you with this:
My Sack Lunch Numbering System.
It was born over the summer when I send my preschoolers to the neighborhood park day camp near my in-laws’ house in Chicago. They would sometimes come home with half eaten lunches, but always the wrong half was eaten. They never could seem to remember that sandwiches should be eaten before cookies.
So, I started numbering all the stuff I put in their lunches. I also do it during the year on our co-op days.
And now they always eat the important stuff first!
I walked into my bedroom yesterday to find this:
This is what my desk drawer currently looks like:
Why yes, that IS a used pregnancy test in there. I always feel uncomfortable throwing away the thing that says I’m pregnant, especially at the very beginning, when it’s all I have to prove to myself that it’s really true.
Of course, now, I have the all consuming morning all-day-sickness to keep me company. So probably it’s time to get the thing I peed on out of the pencil drawer.
Speaking of all-day-sickness . . . I still really can’t complain, since it’s way better than last time, but I’m feeling pretty lazy, and school is winding down for the year. We only have two weeks left on our syllabi and then some testing, but the year is broken up a bit top-heavy, so the days go a lot quicker after Easter break than at the beginning of the year.
Which is all to explain how I’ve been able to spend so much time watching Doctor Who.
I’ve been meaning to watch it for a while since so many of my fellow bloggers seem to love it. Honestly though, I just don’t usually have time to watch TV. But I’ve been sneaking off during the afternoons with my iPad to watch it streaming on Netflix, and it was just what I needed: creative, silly, ridiculous and fun.
I love how unapologically throwback the Brits are. I decided to start with 2005, Season 1 of the new version, rather than back at the beginning with the classic 1963 episodes (also available on Netflix). In the US when they bring back an old show it’s usually a “reboot” with a new world, a new cast, a new history. But the Brits say, “This show has a talking robot dog in it, like it or lump it.” I like it.
Now I was assured that I just had to stick it out through the beginning with the Ninth Doctor, until I got to the Tenth Doctor, the best Doctor of them all.
But it just goes to show “to each her own”, because I adored the Ninth Doctor. He was tall, and goofy, and cheerful, and authoritative. Nineteen year old me would definitely have followed that guy all over space and time. Fantastic.
I know that British actors don’t usually stick with shows very long <still shaking fist at Downton Abbey> but once I started liking him, I figured I’d at least get a couple of seasons, maybe three, and Rose would get rid of Mickey, and . . . then BOOM he’s gone, regenerated at the end of Season 1.
But I’m thinking, well maybe the Tenth Doctor really will be better. But, no, not for me he’s not. I’m only four episodes in to the second season, but he’s a bit spazzy and sarcastic for my taste. Not to mention irresponsible and womanizing. And what’s with all the evil-cat-nuns and evil-ninja-werewolf-monks in season two? I know they’re not really represented as Catholic (or Catholic anymore), but it wasn’t my favorite. It would be nice to see a positive representation of religious characters. But I’m still feeling poorly enough to stick it out for a few more episodes.
All I know about the Eleventh Doctor are the photos that came up when I was looking for a picture of the Ninth Doctor, so maybe I’m wrong, but it sure looks like they made one of those kids from One Direction into a Time Lord, so I guess I have that to look forward to.
So with baby number seven on the way we are about to officially outgrow my Chevy Venture, for which I have a great fondness. It’s an eight-seater, which is hard to find, but that won’t be enough. So we’re planning to get a new van before the baby comes. We’re not actively shopping yet, but I’ve been keeping my eyes open, just hoping to somehow avoid the big ol’ white airport shuttle van everyone else at the park drives. So imagine how excited I was to see this little number pull up to the birthday party we went to last weekend in San Diego:
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| They’ve got two car seats strapped into it! |
It’s a Pinzgauer High-Mobility All-Terrain Vehicle and it seats two up front, twelve in the back. And you can just hose it out when it gets dirty. It only goes 55 miles per hour, but, hey, I drive too fast anyway! The husband is thinking it would perhaps not be the most practical vehicle ever, but I remain partially-smitten with it. How awesome would we look piling out of that thing?
- liking Heather’s FB page (https://www.facebook.com/OrigamiOwlHeatherGaffneyID)
- liking Catholic All Year’s FB page
- following Heather’s blog (http://mamacre8s.com)
- following Catholic All Year
- following Heather on twitter (@mamacre8s)
- placing an order (couple more chances) (must provide order # in order to get chances)
- booking an online or catalog party (more chances) (must provide date in order to get the chances)
- signing up to join Heather’s team (most chances) (can be done via her website, must provide DIW # in order to get the chances)
I just found out that they’re having a 10% sale on a few styles, Friday only:
Can I muddy things up by posting a regular ol' comment? That military vehicle is great, but only if you live in CA where the weather is always friendly. : )
I watch almost no TV, so take this recommendation with a grain of salt… I watched four seasons of Inspector Lewis on Amazon video and enjoyed the Hathaway character. Considering this is television, they did a pretty decent job of developing a man with some religious conviction. There was one episode which ruined it all: S2,E3. Skip that one.
#6 gave me quite a laugh. Imagine driving that around! I am the second oldest of 11 and my dad threatened to buy a Hum-vee back before they were everywhere in California. #3 is just too cute. 🙂
I obviously need to comment on important things first: Doctor Who. I also really liked the ninth Doctor. I particularly love his goofy smile. I love Ten, too, though. Of course, spazzy and sarcastic aren't necessarily bad things in my book! I hope you continue enjoying it! (Although their occasional anti-religiousness ids anything, isn't it?)
Your altar servers are so cute!
Hope I haven't messed up your giveaway numbers too much!
Apparently, when you talk about Doctor Who, that's what your comments are about!
The giveaway numbers will be fine, not to worry.
#1
They wait until the end of 3rd grade, where I am. Sometimes out Mass as 8 Altar Servers, sometimes one.
Are those pictures of your parish?! They're gorgeous!
Also, the nuns and monks are Anglican, not Catholic. Remember that because in later episodes you'll meet priests, bishops, etc who are not doing what they do now. In my memory Catholics don't even appear in Doctor Who. 🙂
And I liked the 9th Doctor too, but as I got to know the 10th he became my favorite.
It's the San Fernando Mission (established 1797)and I'm told it's NOT a parish, but it sure seems like one to me. I guess there are some distinctions, but I'm not sure what they are. We switched over almost a year ago now and really love the community there. It's nice to not be the only people at Mass with more than three kids!
People keep saying that about the 10th Doctor, and I haven't given up on him but he doesn't seem to me to like Rose very much which bugs me. I imagine she'll be gone at some point though, so maybe that will take care of itself. Even though nothing ever really happened I found the relationship between Rose and the Ninth Doctor very sweet and romantic.
I found you via the Quick Takes because you were clever enough to use a picture of the Doctor as your image to lure people like me in. 😉 We are definitely in the minority, but you are not alone in preferring #9. He will always be MY Doctor, for sure. However, #10 and even #11 will eventually win your heart if you give it time. The best episodes of all, just from a writing perspective, are still ahead for you.
The show is unapologetically pro-science, pro-materialism, and definitely anti-"superstition" and anti-"closed-minded" – all of which ends up amounting to being anti-religious. You can take that for what it is – the worldview of a predominance of our public culture – and still enjoy the show knowing that is where it is coming from. But if it bothers you too much, it isn't going to get much better.
I do think there's a lot to that, I think I'll always like MY Doctor best, but it's still a fun show.
Also a good point about it's agenda. So far I've felt that they walked the line enough that I have still felt comfortable. The evil-cat-nuns and evil-ninja-werewolf-monks were not presented as worshipping the Real God and yet evil, which would be more problematic.
I got into Doctor Who soon after my son was born and I was confined to the couch most days with debilitating musculoskeletal pain (body aches–thanks fake Progesterone!). I like all of the most recent doctors, but #11 is my favorite, his personality is the most attractive to me. And don't worry, that's not a Doctor picture of him there, he's much more Doctor-appropriate in the show!
There is some hostility against traditional religion running beneath the show, so let kids watch with a grain of salt. Like Bonnie said, it helps to think that the Established religion over there is Anglicanism, not Catholicism.
I was REALLY hoping that this would be a show I could watch with my kids. Like the old Bonanza-style "family" shows that were made to be enjoyed by all ages. We don't have much time for TV (since it's centrally located EVERYONE has to be done with school for us to watch anything and I always prefer the kids to play outside) but I love the idea of us being able to share pop culture.
Now I'm worried we'll never have anything later than Star Wars. Bi-sexual Captain Jack pretty much sealed the deal for me on that one. Can you imagine, "Well children, SOMETIMES . . . " Nope, don't want to have that conversation.
Kendra
Love your QTs as usual!
All of them…..yup, we;re DW fans here, big time. I did love Chris E ( 9 th ) but you'll come to find Tennant quite endearing. You truly will.
And Matt ( 11) is excellent… The plot thread through the series will grip you and you'll find each of the Doctors has qualitiies that enhance the theme.
In fact, DW is in my QTs today too as well as in my post on Tuesday for the Bard's bday!
Have you seen David Tennant(10th Doc) as Hamlet in BBC's Shakespeare Retold? THAT is how we got into Doctor Who…b/c of his role as Hamlet…he's an unbelievable actor…
Thanks Kendra…feel good!
Happy to "chat" with you!
I read that he left, or the season was shortned or something because of Hamlet, but I haven't seen it. He seems like a PERFECT Hamlet to me, all whiny and self-absorbed, no wait, now I'm just being snarky. I will keep watching with every intention of finding him endearing.
He is a non-Dr Who comment for you!
I think I tried to watch an episode, sometime, but eh. I have strange tastes in TV. And like you, I almost never watch it because the kids would have to be asleep in 99% of the case & we don't have cable.
I also can't throw away the pee stick after it first says "positive"! I keep it around for as long as possible usually, then it gets randomly tossed.
I actually like the 11th doctor best of all. He has childlike wonder and old man wisdom at the same time. I find him amusing. Also the first episode of the latest season. I'm not a fan of the 12th doctor but this episode is amazingly unapologetically prolife!
As far as the recent Doctors go, 11 is pretty good! But oh my… you can't really call yourself a Dr. Who fan unless you used to watch the old ones as a kid, decided you simply must marry Dr. #4, occasionally still have that catchy synthesized opening tune running through your head, and even though you found out you couldn't marry Tom Baker's version, you did manage to find an exact replica "fourth Dr." scarf knitted by a little old British lady on ebay. I get a lot of comments at the grocery store when I wear that scarf. I'm short, and it trails behind me. 🙂
That sounds adorable!